Tuesday, April 28, 2026

Question: Which First Lady dedicated the Big Sur stretch of Highway 1 as California’s first state Scenic Highway in 1966?

Answer: Lady Bird Johnson, wife of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The 72-mile section of Highway 1 north and south of Bixby Bridge was officially designated California’s first state Scenic Highway in 1965, and Lady Bird performed the formal dedication ceremony at Bixby Bridge the following year. The dedication tied directly into her broader nationwide highway beautification campaign, which produced the Highway Beautification Act of 1965.